In Giving, I Received

I have often found that when I set out to do something for someone else, to bless them by serving them, I am often the one that walks away blessed. For example, several summers ago, I went to Guatemala to build a cistern in a small village called Santa Maria de Jesus. I went there with the mindset that we were going to help them so much. Not only would we give them constant access to water, but this gift of a cistern would change their lives. I had this image that as we dug this giant cistern, we would be teaching the villagers about Jesus and how His unconditional love inspires us to serve others selflessly. My group did do that, but what I didn’t expect was how blessed I would be by them, how it would be ME that walked away forever inspired by the Guatemalan people.

The same came true this past summer. For the past 6 weeks, I’ve taught chapel for 4 year-olds through 6th graders at a summer day camp. Most of the children at this day camp come from unchurched families even though it’s a Christian day camp. Again, I had this idea that I would come in and teach these children about Jesus. My goal was not to teach them just about Jesus, but how a relationship with Christ would be the most life changing decision they could ever make. For the younger children, I suppose I laid the foundation for their future experiences with Christ. For the older children, who knows! Most of them look like they’re listening. I pray that I got through to them that they would desire to know more. Now here I am, the last week of my time with them and only one session left with each age group and I am the one who was blessed. They touched my life is so many ways. Each day that they entered the sanctuary with eager smiles and excitement to see what I had for them that day, I felt God warming my heart. It’s as if God has told me, “Well done, my dear daughter, you doing as I’ve taught you, to love others and share the gospel with them.” I came into this job knowing that there was no curriculum and that I would have to write my own lesson plans. Each weekend as I sat down to plan, God always inspired me and guided me to the perfect lesson. God is so good!

God never ceases to amaze me and teach me something new. He is always at work in my life and giving me so much more than I could ever give. Through this job, He also blessed my daughters. They served along side me as my little “assistants.” I watched my shy, socially awkward daughter, K, blossom as she lead the children in song and dance and both K and M made sure I had all I needed each day. Thank you Lord for this gift you gave me this summer